Creating the New

Very often those of us who are trying to break into a new field or localize a globally based industry struggle because we are competing with established norms. Whether it is an organization or societal structure there is a real need for dynamic change over time in order to establish a balance that meets the needs of a healthy system.

Planting the seeds of change

What we are faced with right now is a very unhealthy Earth system. There is obviously need for drastic change. One of the first things that we can do as a culture is is part of what keeps the system healthy. We need to develop new systems that are in line with the Earth’s processes. While it wouldn’t do to look at all the reasons that what we’ve done hasn’t worked we CAN seek to make decisions based on sustainability. Logically, any principle not based on how the Earth’s systems function seems doomed to failure. Based on the Permaculture Design Certificate I completed this summer I know that the principles of permaculture provide a solid foundation to working with the Earth and can be adapted to society as well as business.

The time is ripe for these changes. We already see the megalithic structures of money and global industry are failing. In order for humanity to survive something has to be in place for when they do fail completely. So there are those of us who work tirelessly and against the odds to create the society we want to live in and that we can be proud of.

We still need to work within the current structures while building the new. Inherent in this competition there is more demand on the resources and sometimes there just isn’t currently a way to make it work. But innovation continues and we face the challenges ready to create miracles.

Now, we must build the structures of our new society. This new society, to me, is one in which to many that means one in which all sentient beings are valued and cared for.

I design games to teach elements of the world that I would like to see. Others create local food systems that are resilient, sustainable. Whatever you do, when you seek to help others and make this world a better place the path is not always easy, but the time is ripe for it.

Just as reusable shopping bags have become a norm many of the current efforts around local food, and sustainable economies will seem to be all we’ve ever known soon enough.